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Conduit runs

scorwin

Active Member
Getting close to closing up the rear floors. Conduit is on my mind.

I've looked at countless kit log pics and have questions/concerns regarding the 90 degree bend in the conduit. Doesn't wire get caught/hung up there? :confused:

Isn't is simpler and easier/better to maintain straight conduit runs.:)

Mike Starkey has some pics that I think would work well, uses the blue tube from HD/Lowes, then bundled together the 90 degree bends from the outboard frame to the rear seats. Is there anything wrong with doing it this way?

Thoughts?

Shawn
 
I put in 4 X 1" conduits. Once in place, I sucked nylon strings with a tissue through the conduit with a shop vac. Using double length strings, I pulled the wires through. (back and forth) For small wires, no problem. For the heavy positive and negative main wires I ran an additional conduit straight forward into the flap tube area.
 
On mine, I have 4 conduits (two each side) running from under the flap torque tube cover straight back. That sounds like what Mike did. I also have the standard snap bushings running down the sides of the airplane and still have the ability to run a number of additional conduits (or snap bushing paths) down the right side of the airplane. In addition, in bays under the rear seats where I don't have conduit, I installed snap bushings for the comm antennas that will go there. The comm antenna wires run under the flap torque tube covers too.

I don't have a planned use for all of the pathways, but I didn't see where having a couple of extras would be detrimental.
 
90 degree bend??

Not sure what you are referring to.
I don't remember any 90 degree bends in the conduit.
Like the others, I have several conduits running straight under the rear seats
as well as alongside the fuselage wall providing a passage from the battery compartment to the flap tube enclosure and a direct path from the rear baggage bulkhead to the bay behind the instrument panel.
 
So like others I have 4 conduits (2 on each side) running from under the baggage bulkhead forward under the baggage area then up to the F-1034 fuselage bulkheads on both sides. As a result the conduit does make some almost 90 deg changes in direction. I don't have any pics so I've tried to crudely depict the layouts below but bear in mind my lines are 2-D overlayed on an isometric drawing so they don't exactly show how the conduit "flows" through the structure.
31157751080_267aae6042_z.jpg
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I had no trouble pulling strings and then wires through this conduit (I used Van's black corrugated). For the pull strings, a shop vac on one end of the conduit will easily suck a string to the other side. I then tied the string to end of the wire along with another piece of string and pulled both the wire and new string to the other side and repeated as necessary. I would also cover the end of the wire where I tied on the pull string with some duct tape as the bare wire had a tendency to catch on the corrugations, especially on the turns once the conduit started filling up.
 
31560295566_9dbf80cf92_z.jpg



Is it ok to leave the conduit in the holes like I have it? Does it need to be secured with a zip-tie or adel clamp? Not trying to be lazy, but don't wanna overthink it either

They are 1 inch each, and fit tight.
 
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Definitely secure them or use caterpillar grommet in the lightening holes. Those edges could chew through the grommet and into your wire bundles with vibration.
 
PVC

Also keep in mind that blue ENT conduit is PVC so it will give off toxic fuses if burned. I plan on using the plenum rated interduct I believe is made of nylon or some conglomeration that doesn't give off toxic off gassing. Just my opinion
 
30757521364_d7d36d3087_z.jpg


Went look at HD/Lowes and couldn't find anything there that would protect the conduit. Had some gorilla tape, so I put that around the edges of the conduit.

I'd rather use grommets but those holes are pretty big... I'll look into caterpillar grommets online. Any suggestions on how to neatly secure the 2 tubes that are exiting the one hole? Tried searching but I can't find any pics of how others have done it. There are pics of 3/4 inch tubes , but not 1 inch.

If a fire got to those tubes, I'm most likely already toast by then. Below is the link from HD where I got it from. Long PDF, but close to the top, #6,7 mention the fire rating and toxic gas aspect

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/99/991ca07a-b974-4e37-bf19-f841095d1fca.pdf
 
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I managed to get all my wires and tubes down two runs on each side of the fuselage as per the electric kit plans.

Has anyone checked on the advisability of drilling all these large holes in the rear spar?
 
I managed to get all my wires and tubes down two runs on each side of the fuselage as per the electric kit plans.

Has anyone checked on the advisability of drilling all these large holes in the rear spar?

Don't know if it's advisable or not, but I personally didn't like the idea which is why I went up and over instead of through
 
+1 on the up and over.

Don't know if it's advisable or not, but I personally didn't like the idea which is why I went up and over instead of through

Same here. I didn't like the idea of drilling through the spar so made some pretty significant bends and have had no difficulty at all pulling wire through. In fact just recently I added another line I hadn't planned. Pulled through without issue.

Whatever you do be sure to put some kite string at least 2x the length of the conduit, tie off both ends and never untie. Then you can pull through lines and never worry about pulling your string out.

Lots of pics (including the up-and-over 90 degree bend).

http://airplane.athomeinthewilburness.com/2014/12/14/baggage-compartment/
 
Vans ok'd it

I called Vans to see if there was a problem or not.

They said no issue with it, as long as you stay away from the edge.
 
Also keep in mind that blue ENT conduit is PVC so it will give off toxic fuses if burned. I plan on using the plenum rated interduct I believe is made of nylon or some conglomeration that doesn't give off toxic off gassing. Just my opinion


Nylon, toxic fumes are very nearly as bad as PVC. The only plastic I am aware of that does not give off toxic fumes is polyethylene, and that assumes sufficient oxygen to burn completely and not make carbon monoxide.
Could be others as well, not sure. If it is non-flammable rated, that only means it won't sustain combustion on it's own, not that it won't outgas bad stuff when aided by other flamables.
 
Any suggestions on how to neatly secure the 2 tubes that are exiting the one hole?
You could simply cover that lightening hole with a piece of aluminum, drill 2 holes to accommodate the conduit and have a secure and neat exit for those conduits.
For a more direct path from rear battery compartment to the instrument panel
consider a couple of lines along the sidewall.
On my 10, these conduits accommodate the wiring harness for dual Dynon ADHARS along with trim and other wire bundles.

https://goo.gl/photos/kZDpn81jdUNJnuoq7
 
You could simply cover that lightening hole with a piece of aluminum, drill 2 holes to accommodate the conduit and have a secure and neat exit for those conduits.

That may be the cleanest way to accomplish what I'm trying. The 2 conduits are TIGHT in the lightening hole. I'd have to open it up to allow space between the two tubes, which I don't really want to do.

I could cut the conduit just short of the tailcone and use a bracket as mentioned, along with a nut (silver one like I did in the rear seat) to secure it.

I was trying to find a Y to combine both 1 inch conduits into a bigger conduit (1.5inch maybe) and feed that one conduit out of the lightening hole.

I'm prob way overthinking this. And have too much conduit running, but I freq read about how people wish they "always had more".
 
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90 degrees is easy, 360 is where it can be really difficult. I've pulled wired at 450 once but was a real pita. Try to keep,your bends under 270 for ease of pulling.
 
Conduit runs down side panels?

Hey all,

In a lot of the pictures I've seen folks will continue their conduit runs down the side panels.

I can imagine terminating them where they exit the rear passenger seat, maybe with a grommet in one of the lightening holes. Is there a reason to keep the conduit run going any distance down the side panels? Is is just so that you can pull wires or do work here after final-installing side panels?

Happy to reference some photos if the questions is fuzzy. Thanks for this thread!
 
Hey all,

In a lot of the pictures I've seen folks will continue their conduit runs down the side panels.

I can imagine terminating them where they exit the rear passenger seat, maybe with a grommet in one of the lightening holes. Is there a reason to keep the conduit run going any distance down the side panels? Is is just so that you can pull wires or do work here after final-installing side panels?

Happy to reference some photos if the questions is fuzzy. Thanks for this thread!

Sam, all depends on what you to have and where you want it installed.

In my case, I have heated front seats and the rear seats have power outlets and ANR power runs also. I chose to run that wiring and the associated fuse panel and ANR power module under the flap torque tube cover. Also, strobe lines are more separated from the rear seat headset wiring that way.

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I also ran stuff down the sidewalls ---- audio leads, main power from battery, AHRS/Magnetometer lighting, and pitot static lines.

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Sam, all depends on what you to have and where you want it installed.

Nice! Those wire bundles look great. Looks like I can get by with terminating the conduit in some place I can access by hand, seal the floors and call it a day.

Thanks for the great pictures! Jealous of those heated seats :)
 
One more option to not leave the conduits just hanging in the holes is Panduit LHMS-S5-C (available here at mouser.com).

This picture from mouser(.org) shows them:

4070619125_c6a2b8009f.jpg


I'm using those with success, though riveting them is a bit tricky (the rivet expands a bit inside the plastic).
 
First, thank you to everyone who has added to this thread. I would like to do as Mike Starkey has done and run my conduit strait up from the back under the flap torque tube cove. I would have a total of four straight runs. My holes will be 1 inch. Does any body have a FLYING airplane where this configuration has been done? Four one inch holes in the rear spar bulkhead? If so, please I would be thrilled to hear.



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